Kate Rogers “I think when students leave home there’s a false sense of security that someone’s looking out for them, but that’s not the case…You’re on your own, you gotta make sure your smoke alarms work, your exits are not blocked,” said Carol Schiller of Portland. With the anniversary of a tragic Portland fire just […]

River Plouffe Vogel, Staff Writer The University of Southern Maine is home to many bright characters. It’s a unique place that offers new and interesting experiences. For many students, finding community takes time, however there are certain individuals who bring the community to the students. Robert Ritchie is one of these individuals. Ritchie has worked […]

Julie Pike, Staff Writer Working alongside faculty members at the Recovery Oriented Campus Center (ROCC), a sophomore nursing student, Jessica Fossett, is in the process of bringing a NAMI (National Alliance on Mental Illness) club to USM. NAMI is a nationwide advocacy group that represents individuals and families who have been affected by mental health […]

By: Darleen Hutchins and Marisa Zastrow, Contributors Students from the Maine Educational Center for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing, Marie Philip School and Rhode Island School for the Deaf attended the Jr. National Association of the Deaf region one conference hosted in Maine the weekend of April 7-9 at Mackworth Island. The theme of […]

By: Mary Ellen Aldrich, Community Editor ‘Recovery’ is a word with meanings and interpretations as diverse as those who use it. Regardless of these differences, it is a word which, according to members of the Recovery Oriented Campus Center (ROCC), holds similarities to “hope,” “healing” and “improving.” The ROCC, located on the USM Portland campus, […]

By: Kelly Scrima, Web Editor Maine boasts many artists who stand out in the art history books for their works, with notable artists including Marsden Hartley, Edward Hopper and Winslow Homer. On March 15, the Metropolitan Museum of Art (Met Breuer) in New York City opened a new exhibit entitled “Marsden Hartley’s Maine,” which was […]

By Eleanor Mair, Contributor The transition into university can be difficult. The experience of living in a new town, trying to make new friends, participating in brand new courses and gaining a sense of independence can be overwhelming. For incoming international students, however, their recent travels, sometimes thousands of miles away from home, to immerse […]

By Mary Ellen Aldrich and Cara DeRose As of January 2017, recreational marijuana is officially legal in Maine for those who are twenty-one and older. Although recreational marijuana’s previous illicit status never deterred people from using it, people can now smoke marijuana without the usual obstacles of accessibility and unlawfulness (so long as a person […]

By: Julie Pike, Staff Writer Imagine bending into downward dog as a tiny kitten scampers underneath you, or extending into sun salutation while another kitten brushes up against your feet. This describes the experience of those who attended the Kitten Yoga event to benefit the Animal Refuge League of Greater Portland (ARLGP) on Saturday, Feb. […]

By Jake Hahn, Free Press Staff For some, the art of dance is just part of the background noise of life, just another thing they may see throughout the course of the day. For others, however, much more thought is put into the art. For these people it’s a way of life, not just a […]